Digital Marketing

Uniqlo has enlisted musician and music producer Pharrell Williams as a collaborator and spokesperson for the UT 2014 spring-summer collection. Launched in 2003, Uniqlo’s UT T-shirt brand is getting a fresh start this year, as “The New Model T,” a collection produced by its creative director and street fashion icon Nigo.

Google Capital has invested $50 million in Auction.com, the world’s largest online real estate marketplace. As part of the investment, one representative from Google Capital will join the company’s board of directors and another will take a board observer position.

By Mark Ledbetter, Global VP Retail Strategy, SAP

The changing nature of retail combined with an ever-greater reliance on data is forcing retailers to adjust their workforce and employee skill sets accordingly. From a customer experience standpoint, most retailers are transitioning to a brick-and-click model that aims to ensure customers have a seamless shopping experience regardless of which channel they use.

New York -- As technology transforms multichannel retail into hyper-channel, “always-on” retailing, chains must emotionally connect with consumers as never before, according to Joseph Bona. Bona, president of branded environments for New York City-based brand agency/retail design firm CBX, is one of the featured speakers at Chain Store Age’s upcoming 50th annual SPECS conference,  March 9 -12, Grapevine, Texas.

The South by Southwest interactive/music/lifestyle event held each year in Austin, Texas, will see leading workwear brand Dickies team up with Amazon to host a lineup of leading musical acts.

The companies have created The Dickie’s Roadhouse presented by Amazon at the iconic Austin establishment known as Banger’s on Rainey Street near the convention center. Headliners at the event include Ludacris and Until the Ribbon Breaks.

In much the same way that warehouse club operators offer exclusive benefits to members so they upgrade to premium levels, Amazon continues to enrich offerings available to Prime members who pay an annual fee.

San Francisco – Gap Inc. reportedly plans a substantial increase in its Gap and Old Navy store count in China during the next several years. Reuters reports that Gap plans to add 30 stores to its existing 81 Chinese locations.

As I have previously expressed in this column, I am a Bitcoin skeptic. The recent news that major global Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox suddenly disappeared, possibly due to losing as much as $350 million to fraud allowed by a computer glitch, reinforced my reservations about Bitcoin and similar electronic currencies. In theory, independent electronic currencies are promising, but in practice, relying on third-party payment methods which are not backed by the full faith and credit of a stable government is a risky proposition.

Actor/producer Josh Duhamel and his production company, Dakotakid Media, are lending their services to PetSmart Charities for the launch of Rescue Waggin': Tales from the Road.

Under the direction of executive producers Duhamel and Jude Weng, the eight-episode web series follows homeless dogs as they travel hundreds, even thousands, of miles for a better chance of being adopted. The web series includes cameos from a cache of celebrity pet adoption advocates, including Kristen Bell, Adam Shankman and Bret Michaels.

Prairie Farms Dairy has rolled out a line of Old Recipe Seasonal Favorites Milk in three flavors: Jelly Bean, Chocolate Marshmallow and Easter Egg Nog.

According to the dairy, the milk is ultra-pasteurized and has an extended shelf life of 75 days, and all flavors are produced using milk from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones.